The present invention relates to electronic panels, and in particular to panels for controlling a number of different types of alarms in a commercial or dwelling structure.
Many commercial structures and even certain dwellings have a wide variety of different alarm systems to minimize the likelihood of loss by theft or fire. For example, a structure might have glass breakage detectors on its windows, motion detectors in open areas, and magnetic switches to detect opening of a door or pressure on a carpet. These various alarm devices are normally connected to a common alarm control panel which contains delay circuitry and the like to coordinate the issuance of the actual alarm, e.g., the notification of the police or the activation of visual and aural alert mechanisms.
The number and type of alarms in different buildings varies widely and tailoring a control panel to each particular installation is commercially unfeasible. Instead, general alarm control panels are made available which can be used to coordinate different types of alarm systems. The panels come in different sizes and capacities but each model is designed to handle a variety of alarm situations. To avoid frustration of the alarm system by knowledgeable burglars, the control panel must be tucked away in an inconspicuous and concealed location so that it cannot readily be deactuated.
A typical device of this type is represented by Model P105 formerly produced by United Security Products, Inc., assignee of the present application. The panel includes a metal face in which an L-shaped bracket is formed for mounting, a printed circuit board behind the face, and a plurality of electrical connectors between the circuit board and the face which also serves the structural function of fastening the circuit board to the face. The problem with this type of construction is that where different size control panels are required, the construction of the metal face must be different and the design is relatively inflexible. In addition, by coupling the face and the circuit board at the bottom using the connectors, flow of air upwardly along the circuit board is essentially blocked and the electronic components of the board do not receive the desired cooling. To solve the cooling problem, the panel must be mounted in a relatively open area so that adequate cooling is available, often frustrating the objective of concealing the panel from public view.